New guy from puget sound

[Will R.]

Hello all,

Well after years of thinking , thinking and just a little more dreaming of learning to blacksmith. I have finally gotten almost all my stuff together to start just finished building my scrap yard forge I have named "FRANK'N FORGE" . I figured I would post a few pics get a little feed back before I fire it up next weekend. I have an old Buffalo hand crak blower Ill get attached this week and next week I begin the learing process of making me some knives.. If you all notice if Im missing anything other then some fire bricks on this forge chime in please I would most any appreciate and wisdom your willing to share.

Thanks Will


By hotwheelzzz at 2012-01-14

By hotwheelzzz at 2012-01-14

By hotwheelzzz at 2012-01-14

By hotwheelzzz at 2012-01-14

[Neil Gustafson]

Good Morning,

You may want to fasten a section of pipe to the chimney hole. Heat rises so it will create a draft up the stove pipe (probably min. 8" pipe, 6-10 feet high to outside your shelter). If you put a half round dam, even at an angle, from near the chimney hole toward the front. This will help force the smoke and fumes up the chimney. If the smoke doesn't want to go up the chimney, take a newspaper ball, light it and hold it with tongs, near the opening of the smoke pipe. This will start the draft up the chimney.

You can use clay, clinker, broken fire-bricks, broken any kind of bricks, to cover the deck of your forge. A viking forge is wood with sand/dirt over it. Heat goes up, not down (some will go down, but not as much as you might think). If you find a cast iron grate/grill (maybe from an old wood stove/furnace), it will work better than your expanded metal over your tuyere.

It is better to try, make some mistakes, than not try. The key is to learn from your journey.

Enjoy the Journey, there is no end.
Neil